Mermaid is an excellent exercise to add to your Pilates practice. Many times in the beginning phases of Pilates we miss out on side bending. Mermaid is the perfect exercise to start preparing yourself for more advance side bending exercises as well as create flexibility in the spine. You will strengthening the sides of the body while building flexibility in the spine laterally. It is definitely Mermaid time! Check out this video illustrating how to perform the Pilates Mermaid.
Posts Tagged ‘how to do Pilates’
It’s Mermaid Time
Sunday, June 27th, 2010Totally Yummy Pilates Shoulder Bridge
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010You gotta rock the Pilates Shoulder Bridge. It is awesome for stretching the front side of the body while strengthening the backside. As well, decompress the spine with flexibility. This is a totally yummy exercise! Check out this video to learn how to become a Pilates Rockstar!
Why Do Pilates?
Friday, May 21st, 2010In my quest to empower the body, mind & spirit, I have taught Pilates to some totally awesome individuals. I love to see how the body, mind & spirit is returned to life through the student’s journey. The transformation is truly amazing for them as well as me. Pilates is more than a core workout…it is living life. Check out this video to see the transformation of some pretty kick ass rockstars!
Pilates Single Leg Kick
Thursday, April 29th, 2010Pilates Single Leg Kick is one of the most underutilized and misunderstood exercises. Yet, it is so GOOD for balancing the body. Learn how to rock out your Pilates Single Leg Kick. Awesome for strengthening the back of the leg, back and shoulders while stretching the knee, front of the leg and chest. Check out the video!
Bringing Sexy Back
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010Pilates Swan is a totally awesome exercise for opening the chest, stretching the front of the shoulders, neck, belly and hips, releasing the upper back and strengthening all of the back side. Check out this video to bring sexy back!
Ooey Gooey Totally Delicious Saw
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Check out the video!
The Pilates Saw is one of my favorite mat exercises. Not only was it extremely helpful in relieving my back pain years ago,it provides a stretch my body craves. Pilates twisting exercises are awesome for strengthening and stretching the body; however, too many times students attempt to move beyond where his or her body is. Unfortunately, students end up missing out on the ooey gooey goodness Saw provides. Saw is totally delicious for strengthening the arms, shoulders, spine, and sides of the body while stretching the shoulders, chest, spine, back of the legs, and front of the hips.
It is not uncommon to see students struggle with Saw if they have tightness in the low back, back of the legs, and/or hips. However, many times that is caused by the student progressing further than the body is ready. It is more important to tune into your body’s abilities and shed your notion of how you envision the exercise. Rather you need to understand the exercise, and use it as a tool to unlock your true movement abilities. When you push to keep up with the crowd, you miss out on the ooey gooey deliciousness your body needs.
The first common mistake students make is to force into a position that is stressful to the body. For those who have tight back of the legs and hips, sitting up straight can be difficult as well as strain the body. It is better to prop yourself up to ease the strain to get more out of the exercise. Yet, many will still try to perform the exercise without assistance to keep up with those who can sit up straight easily. If your body is in constant freak out mode, “Get me out of this freakin’ position,” it will put excess strain on the body including the nervous system. At that point, you have lost all control of the movement. Your body controls you instead of you controlling your body. When your body stays in a constant freak out mode, you are unable to release to find the truth of the exercise for YOUR body. Work the exercise with less stress and the body can respond in a calm way to find the ooey gooey.
The second common mistake is to twist further than his or her body can twist to reach farther. In Saw, you are twisting the entire spine, and students have various levels of flexibility in twisting. Some students have more mobility to twist in the upper spine with little twist in the low spine, vice versa, or some other various combinations of flexibility and inflexibility. Many students will lift up his or her opposite hip to twist farther, which will limit the benefits of stretching the low back and front of the hips specifically. It is perfectly fine if you can not reach your baby toe. When you attempt to twist farther rather than twist smarter, you end up forcing one spot creating hypermobility in one area and continuous tightness in the other areas. Try twisting smarter rather than farther to twist the entire spine to get the most out of the exercise. Twist as far as your spine allows with your hips grounded. Work the exercise smarter and the body can open up faster to find the ooey gooey to twist farther.
The last common problem is to let the arms and legs get lazy. As I have stated many times, all Pilates exercises are full body exercises. Although the focus is on twisting the spine, the arm and leg engagement are equally as important. If your arms are lazy in the motion, they will hang and pull on the spine affecting how the spine and neck twists. Many times it will cause excess strain on the shoulders and neck. An energized arm will help the spine twist with more freedom and ease. If your legs are not active, the hips will be lazy and make it difficult to ground. Active legs allow the spine to lift away from the grounded hips to find a more energetic deeper twist. When the arms and legs stay active in the exercise, the spine can find more ooey gooey deliciousness in the twist.
Master the Pilates Saw to strengthen the arms, shoulders, spine, and sides of the body while stretching the shoulders, chest, spine, back of the legs, and front of the hips. But more importantly, master Saw for the ooey gooey deliciousness your body craves.
Pilates Rolling Like a Ball: How to Avoid Bruising
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010I love to receive questions from you. It truly inspires me to share more of my Pilates knowledge. Recently, I received a question regarding Rolling Like a Ball. The question was regarding bruising along the spine while performing Rolling Like a Ball. Check this video out to see how you can avoid bruising and rock ‘n’ roll in style.
Spine Stretch Your Way to Freedom
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010A flexible spine is one of the main goals in Pilates. Joseph Pilates in Return to Life says, “…the only real guide to your true age lies not in years or how you think you feel but as you actually are as infallibly indicated by the degree of natural and normal flexibility enjoyed by your spine throughout life.” Yet, many have flexibility imbalances in their spine, which can lead to compression in areas or even pain. Some areas may be tight while other areas may be hypermobile. Spine Stretch is the perfect exercise to balancing the spine. If done properly, Spine Stretch will stretch the shoulders, back of the legs, and hips while building strength in the abs, shoulders, arms, and spine. Ultimately, this exercise will help decompress and find spinal freedom.
There are many cues utilized by teachers to describe spinal movement in flexion exercises. The most common ones are “one vertebra at a time,” “articulate the spine,” “imprint the spine,” and/or “make a C-curve.” There is nothing wrong with these cues, but what do they mean? Even if you understand the concept, do you know how to make your body move that way? Most of us tend to skip spots in our spine because of the current muscle patterns and structure. We continue to perform these exercises leveraging off of our hypermobile spots and avoiding our tightness. Although we may get some benefits, we are recreating the same muscle pattern. The goal is to change the muscle pattern and structure to be more effective and efficient for the body.
It is important to first figure out your current patterns. Some areas may be easier than others. For instance, tight low backs are usually a problem we notice while hypermobility may not be as obvious. The best way to analyze your current pattern is to practice Spine Stretch up against a wall. Sit up straight with your spine placed on the wall and tune into how your spine is moving. If your spine places extra pressure into the wall as you bend forward, that may be a hypermobile area. If your spine peels off the wall skipping a section, this may be tightness. As you peel off the wall, the spine should move smoothly and evenly including your low back.
Once you tune into your current spinal movement, we need to look at possible hindrances that affect the exercise. The first problem revolves around the hip, back of the leg, and shoulder tightness. The spine may be limited in its movement when the hips, back of the legs, and shoulders are tight. The key is to modify to ease the strain on these areas to create more freedom in the spine. Many students feel defeated if they can’t do the advance version. But, this tends to cause more strain on the body. This will hinder the body’s ability to open. If you continue to strain through the position, you will continue the same muscle patterns. You may get some benefits, which will be slow and more frustrating. Remember the goal is not to perform the advance version but rather to decompress and build even flexibility in the spine. Use modifications to reach your ultimate goal of spinal freedom faster.
The next problem prevalent in this exercise is the main principle of this exercise. This is not a flat back exercise or a hinge at the hips. There are very few straight spine exercises in Pilates. Straight spine work is important because the body should be able to be manipulated in as many ways as possible. Pilates focus is on manipulation of the spine. Every Pilates session should take you through spinal flexion, extension, rotation, and side bending. This is the key to reaching the goal of spinal flexibility. The Pilates Spine Stretch is a flexion exercise, which will attack the low back, back of the legs, and hips differently than a flat back. Make sure that you are bending the spine as you pull forward to create a bow shape.
The last common problem is pushing the body beyond its limits to reach further. In Pilates, there is no one shape. There is only the shape that is the most productive for your body. Each person will look different based on what he/she needs out of the exercise. However, many students will push their body trying to get further. Students will reach their arms or strain the back of the legs to get further, which will avoid the spine stretching to the best of its ability. It is ok if your body does not reach as far forward as the person next to you. The exercise is to work the areas your body needs to create balance. More spinal balance and leg flexibility is what will get the body to reach further.
Master Spine Stretch to decompress the spine, build flexibility in the spine, shoulders, back of the legs, and hips, and improve strength in the abs, shoulders, arms, and spine. But more importantly, master the Spine Stretch to find spinal freedom.
Breakin’ Down the Pilates Stomach Series: The Stairway to Heaven Criss Cross Style
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Here it is the final exercise of the Pilates Stomach Series, Criss Cross. We have been building strength in the abs, hips, booty, legs, shoulders, arms, and low back while improving flexibility in the hips, knees, back of the legs, low back, and shoulders with the previous four exercises. Criss Cross will complete the series by challenging strength, flexibility, and stamina with a twist. Criss Cross is the final step in the Pilates Stomach Series stairway to freedom.
Let’s take a look at each of the exercises to reveal the steps that led us to Criss Cross. We start with the first step, single leg stretch. This exercise starts to stretch and strengthen the body to prepare for the remainder of the stomach series. It works the abs and hips with the least amount of strain by stretching one leg out at a time. When you move through a bent leg position, you lighten the load or strength required to maintain the integrity of the position. This is also done by stretching one leg at a time. The body can start to build the strength and flexibility needed to progress to the next step up the stairway, Double Leg Stretch.
Double Leg Stretch continues to stretch the body while adding a new challenge of strength. The load is more challenging because both legs and arms are stretching out at the same time. We still move through the bent leg position; however, we extend both legs and arms out requiring a step up in strength. This increase of strength is needed to prepare us for the third step on the stairway, Scissors.
Similar to Single Leg Stretch we start with a motion that moves the legs one at a time. Yet, more flexibility and strength is needed to keep the legs straight through the entire movement. It requires a particular level of flexibility in the back of the legs, low back, and front of the hips to maintain a straight leg throughout the entire motions. As well, the straight legs are the next load challenge. The further you lengthen away from the body in the movements, the more strength is needed to maintain the integrity of the exercise. You can consider this a lever. As the lever gets longer, the more strength it requires to hold. By utilizing one leg at a time you lighten the load on the longer lever. This helps prepare us to take the next step, Double Leg Lower and Lift. The same flexibility is needed as in Scissors; however, the load is heavier by moving both legs at the same time. The lever is the same while the increase in load challenges the body to keep the integrity of the exercise. It is important to master each of the steps one at a time because the exercise previous prepares you for the next. It is more challenging to jump up two or three steps than to take one at a time; however, you are more likely to perform the exercises improperly and/or with excess strain. The key to succeeding upward on the Pilates stairway is to master one step at a time.
The final step on our Pilates Stomach Series stairway is Criss Cross; however, there are a few struggles that can thwart your climb. First, concern is the head and neck. Too many times clients pull on their head and neck to create the twisting motion. Or many will reach their elbow for their knee causing a pull on the head and neck. This will strain the neck and limit the benefit of the twist. The goal is to twist your entire spine. You can think of twisting your spine like a spiral staircase. The spiral starts from the bottom and stretches all the way to the top. Rather than pull on the head or neck, try to twist your navel to start the action and finish the twist with your neck. As well, reach your shoulder for your knee instead of the elbow to allow your chest to remain open while gazing at your back elbow. You should feel a deeper twist with more muscle contraction than pulling on the head and neck.
Second, problem area is the hips and legs. People will focus so much on the twist they forget about keeping the legs engaged. The legs will be just as engaged as they are in Single Leg Stretch. In Single Leg Stretch, you use your arms to pull the knee in tightly. In Criss Cross, you are using the strength of the hips and legs to create the same feeling. This will also help you anchor for stability. Many students will lift their opposite hip when twisting, which avoids their tightness and/or weakness. The key is to reach the opposite hip to help stabilize the hips to twist deeper while bending the other knee into the shoulder. Last concern is the lift in the upper body curl. Because we may lack strength to stay lifted in the curl or are tired by time we hit this exercise, we tend to get lazy and rest as we twist. The goal is to stay lifted in the upper body curl while twisting. You can think about trying to keep the upper ribcage and armpit of the side you are twisting towards lifted off the mat as you twist. It is easy to rest as you twist, but the real strength comes as you learn to keep a lift.
Master Criss Cross adding a new challenge to your strength, flexibility, and stamina. But more importantly, master each of the steps needed to reach the top of the Pilates Stomach Series stairway.
Breakin’ Down the Pilates Stomach Series: Connect the Dots with Double Leg Lower and Lift
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009We are now on the fourth exercise of the Pilates Stomach Series, Double Leg Lower and Lift. Double Leg Lower and Lift will continue to work the abs, hips, booty, legs, shoulders, arms, and low back while building flexibility especially in the hips, back of the legs, and low back. Pilates tends to be referred as mainly a core strengthener, but as we have learned Pilates is about a full body workout balancing strength with flexibility. More importantly, it is about incorporating the body, mind, and spirit. Double Leg Lower and Lift is the perfect exercise to look at how the mind-body connection is created to find your own natural rhythm.
Mindfulness is extremely important to Pilates; however, too many times we become over analytical. Soon you are thinking about every cue your teacher has told you, and your Pilates becomes more technical than natural movement. Then discouragement happens because you don’t believe you are performing the exercise correctly. You may even see your neighbor perform in differently. Now you start to compare yourself feeling more discouraged. You ask the teacher for more cues to help you understand the anatomical components or a visual to create a shape.
Yet, have you really experienced the exercise? Just because your neighbor can perform an exercise does not mean you will perform it the same way. Competitiveness can not exist in Pilates because the playing field is not level. You have a different body than those around you, which means your exercise will only look as your body can perform it. Trying to go big and bad only leads to more pain and lackluster results. As well, repeating all the cues or over analyzing the anatomical connections do not lead to a mind-body connection. Truly feeling the sensations and playing with the exercises will create a connection between the mind and body. The dots will start to connect to create a picture of freedom leading to your own natural rhythm.
If you look at a piece a paper with a bunch of dots, it just looks like a bunch of dots. Each is individual of one another not creating a cohesive picture. The picture won’t reveal itself until you start to connect the dots together. You start at step one connecting each of the dots rather than haphazardly drawing lines. Even if you start haphazardly drawing lines, all the lines will need to be connected to create the picture. The integration of all the dots is what creates the picture. If one of the dots isn’t connected, the picture will be incomplete. This is the same with Pilates. If you only focus on the physical aspect, you will miss the ability for the mind to calm and control the body inherent in Pilates. If you become too mental about the work, you will miss the natural movement inherent in Pilates. Many times we make the work more difficult than it is. When the mind starts to feel the sensations of the body, the dots will start to create the picture of freedom in the body, mind, and spirit.
Many students will use momentum or move in a larger range of motion than their body is prepared to handle when performing Double Leg Lower and Lift. Control is created by building strength and flexibility in increments as the body is ready. Let’s say you have low back pain. Double Leg Lower and Lift may cause more pain when trying to perform the advanced version especially if the back starts to arch or the pelvis rocks. Many times this will occur because the hips are tight and/or do not work properly to perform the exercise. If you continue to work in that motion, you will continue your current muscle pattern. This will continue to aggravate the low back and possibly cause more pain. If you start to work in smaller range of motion with a focus on controlling the movement to ease the low back, you will start to change the muscle pattern. You will need to play with a variety of range of motions until you find the one that maintains the integrity of the exercise while challenging your body in a healthy way. This will start to lead to increase strength and flexibility and ultimately allowing you to challenge the motion to a larger range. You will start to make a mind-body connection outside of all the cues and schematics you have created in your mind when you truly feel the movements. The dots will start to connect when you feel the range of motion that is right for your body.
Once you feel and find the range of motion right for your body, it is important to control the motion. Control does not only mean the movement but also the mind’s ability to control the body. Many times we start a new exercise, the body becomes fatigued, and/or an exercise is a challenge and all the rules go right out the window. For example, there is a challenge with Double Leg Lower and Lift as you get tired. You have performed Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, and Scissors. Now you have to perform the Double Leg Lower and Lift. Soon your anxiety grows because you are fatiguing and wonder if you can make it through the exercise knowing you have one more after it. The mind-body connection is now null and void as your anxiety grows, breath gets quicker or worse held, and you use momentum to swing the legs up. At this point, all the lines have been erased returning to a page of dots.
Start connecting the dots again by noticing whether you can maintain proper form or if the exercise is no good. If it is no good, then it is time to take a break for a few breaths and then pick up where you left off. If you can maintain the integrity and it is just a new challenge, then you need to take control of your mind to release the anxiety to find control of the body. You control your mind by experiencing the exercise rather than over thinking the motion. You control the mind by calming your breath to settle the anxiety. You control the mind by letting go of negative thoughts about an exercise. As your mind calms, you will find the body responds and makes the exercise more accessible. As you learn to find control, freedom will follow leading to the complete coordination of the body, mind, and spirit. When the body starts to obey the mind, the dots will be connected once again to build the picture of your natural rhythm.
Master Double Leg Lower and Lift to strengthening with flexibility the abs, hips, booty, legs, shoulders, arms, and low back. But more importantly, start to connect the dots to build a picture of your natural rhythm.